Member states of the World Trade Organization

The original member states of the World Trade Organization are the parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) after ratifying the Uruguay Round Agreements,^[1] and the European Communities. They obtained this status at the entry into force on 1 January 1995 or upon their date of ratification. All other members have joined the organization as a result of negotiation, and membership consists of a balance of rights and obligations.^[2] The process of becoming a World Trade Organization (WTO) member is unique to each applicant country, and the terms of accession are dependent upon the country's stage of economic development and the current trade regime.^[3]

An offer of accession is given once consensus is reached among members.^[4] The process takes about five years, on average, but it can take some countries almost a decade if the country is less than fully committed to the process, or if political issues interfere. The shortest accession negotiation was that of Kyrgyzstan, lasting 2 years and 10 months. The longest were that of Russia, lasting 19 years and 2 months,^[5] Vanuatu, lasting 17 years and 1 month,^[6] and China, lasting 15 years and 5 months.^[7]

As of 2007, WTO member states represented 96.4% of global trade and 96.7% of global GDP.^[8] Iran, followed by Algeria, are the economies with the largest GDP and trade outside the WTO, using 2005 data.^[9][10]